WASHINGTON – Republicans plan a careful choreography for reviewing the results of the FBI's background inquiry into Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh that includes restricting its distribution and inviting senators to a secure meeting room in the Capitol to view the report.

The main focus of the FBI investigation has been accusations by Christine Blasey Ford that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her while they were in high school. Kavanaugh vehemently denied the allegations.

The report could be delivered to Capitol Hill as early as Wednesday. It will go first to the White House, then to the Senate Judiciary Committee and then all senators will be allowed to read it in a secure location, Republican senators said.

Senate Republicans plan the cautious approach amid a debate over how much of the FBI's investigation into Kavanaugh's past should be available for public view. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said only that senators will be able to see the results of the FBI's work. A handful of Senate aides may view the findings as well.

Republican leaders and White House officials said the strict limitations on who would see the results are standard practice for background checks on nominees for senior roles.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., a Judiciary Committee member, said it would be ideal to make public as much information as possible, allowing for redactions of private or compromising information. “But I think if the report disappears into a black hole from which no fact emerges, it will just add to the dissension here and to the questions,” he said.

Republicans noted that a bipartisan memorandum of understanding in 2009 dictates the handling of such reports. George Hartmann, a Judiciary Committee spokesman, told USA TODAY on Wednesday morning that the guidelines call for sending a single copy of the FBI's findings to Capitol Hill and housing it in a safe in the committee's office.

Democrats questioned the secrecy – and the decision to rely on the standard procedure – given the significance.

Ron Klain, a veteran Washington attorney and formerchief of staff to Vice Presidents Al Gore and Joe Biden, said there is nothing wrong with maintaining the confidentiality of the report as long as it doesn't make it impossible for senators to digest the information before the vote.

“Standard procedures often need to be modified for nonstandard situations," Klain said. He cited the example of how the FBI's findings were handled when it investigated accusations of sexual harassment by Anita Hill against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. Klain was a chief counsel for Judiciary Committee Democrats during the Hill-Thomas hearings in 1991.

"In extraordinary situations – like the Thomas-Hill hearings – procedures have been adopted to protect confidentiality while also facilitating access for all senators,” he said.

Some Republican senators said at least a portion of the document should be available for public review.

“I hope the FBI report is made public. Normally, it is not, out of respect for the privacy for the person being investigated, but this is an unusual circumstance,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R.-La., on the Judiciary Committee.

Kennedy said that if all findings cannot be released, he'dsupportan objective summary of the report to be shared to avoid senators leaking "selected versions that advance their position." Kennedy said it would be "silly" to threaten to withhold his vote over the report being made public.

The Justice Department referred questions about the investigation to the White House.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders did not answer a question Wednesday about whether Trump wants the report made available to the public.

“We’ve been very open and transparent throughout the process,” she said.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said he asked during a lunch meeting with other Republican senators if multiple copies could be made available, but it was unclear whether GOP leaders agreed to the request.

It is not clear whether the document will draw conclusions about the allegations.

“It’s possible that they have conflicting accounts, I hope that’s not the case,” Corker said. “My understanding is they’re just going to send us raw data.”

Michael Mukasey, a former U.S. attorney general under President George W. Bush, said the supplemental FBI background investigation would cover credible allegations of misconduct. The FBI probably won't try to resolve disputes between conflicting witnesses, and witnesses wouldn’t be tested by polygraph, he said.

Mukasey spoke with reporters on a call organized by Judicial Crisis Network, a conservative group that backs Kavanaugh's confirmation.

Brett Kavanaugh, speaks as he officiates at the swearing-in of Judge Britt Grant to take a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on Aug. 7, 2018, at the U.S. District Courthouse in Washington. J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, AP

Brett Kavanaugh, departs after meeting with Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee which will oversee his confirmation, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Aug. 23, 2018. J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, AP

Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) greets Judge Brett Kavanaugh as he arrives at her office prior to a meeting in the Russell Senate Office Building on July 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. Kavanaugh is meeting with members of the Senate after U.S. President Donald Trump nominated him to succeed retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. Alex Edelman, Getty Images

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) (L) and Judge Brett Kavanaugh arrive to talk with members of the news media after a meeting at the U.S. Capitol July 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

Brett Kavanaugh, a judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, delivers the Commencement address for the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law on May 25, 2018 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. Dana Bowler, The Catholic University of America

President George W. Bush, watches the swearing-in of Brett Kavanaugh as Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia by U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House, in Washington on June 1, 2006. Holding the Bible is Kavanaugh's wife Ashley Kavanaugh. PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS, AP

“The FBI doesn’t make credibility determinations about ultimate facts,” Mukasey said. “They simply present the statements of witnesses so that the senators who are the ultimate deciders can make their decision.”

If the FBI finds any new evidence to refute Brett Kavanaugh's testimony, experts say that could change the minds of GOP Senators, even though many of them have already made up their minds on whether they want to confirm him to the Supreme Court. (Oct. 1)
AP